Welcome to this week’s edition of the Kos Diabetes Group! Somehow I haven’t penned a diary here since July, so I’m especially glad to be back and be able to share my love of keto-friendly, lowcarb cooking with you! As it’s October, my original plan was to make a keto batch of my favorite trick-or-treat (OK, if I’m honest my ANYTIME favorite) goodie… Peanut Butter Cups. But then I realized I’ve already shown you how to do that, because it’s essentially the same thing as the faux peanut butter eggs I shared in April.
Think brillig… what’s your second-favorite treat to sneak out of the kids’ Halloween stash when they were little? Oh yeah… Snickers bars!!! Peanutty caramelly chocolatey goodness!! I went looking and while I didn’t find a recipe for faux Snickers candy bars, I did come across a recipe I hadn’t made yet, for adorable little Snickers-inspired mini no-bake cheesecakes. And as a bonus, it includes an ingredient that when made on its own is something every diabetic needs in their repertoire… a lowcarb caramel sauce that actually tastes delicious. I made these in one day and while there are several steps, I promise it’s really easy!! Ready to get started? Follow me…
The recipe is from my go-to source for keto recipes that are guaranteed to work, Carolyn Ketchum at All Day I Dream About Food. I know I sound like a broken record but if you’re serious about eating low-carb without feeling deprived in the slightest, this site should be bookmarked and your first choice to search. I cannot stress enough that you read her original recipe post KETO MINI “SNICKERS” CHEESECAKE in its entirety before you read my experience making these, and don’t skip immediately to the procedure. It has lots of details that help ensure your results will be fantastic, and as the recipe author, her site should get the traffic for this!
What you need to know before starting: You need at least six hours to prepare this even though it only takes a little time for each part. Forewarned means not being disappointed that you can’t make this in an hour! You will need six cupcake liners (either silicone or parchment, I used silicone and I probably could have gotten seven out of this recipe based on my liner size), and a standard muffin pan to make wrangling the individual desserts easier. You’ll also need enough space in the freezer to let them firm up before serving.
There are four parts to the dessert: Crust, Filling, Caramel Peanut Topping, and Chocolate Drizzle.
1/3 cup almond flour (or any nut or seed flour!)
2 Tbs powdered sweetener (I used the suggested erythritol-based one but I suspect any kind except liquid will work)
1.5 Tbs cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1.5 Tbs melted butter
Mix the dry ingredients together, breaking up lumps. Add the melted butter and stir until it clumps up. Divide into the 6 muffin cups and press into the bottom. Set aside while you go to the next step.
6 ounces softened cream cheese
2 Tbs peanut butter
6 Tbs powdered sweetener (I use a mix of erythritol-based Swerve and either allulose or Bochasweet because I think mixing makes the ‘sweet’ profile more like sugar)
3 Tbs heavy cream, room temp
½ tsp vanilla extract
Mix the cream cheese and peanut butter together in a bowl until smooth (I used a spatula, not a mixer).
Add the sweetener and mix until combined, then add the cream and vanilla and mix until completely smooth.
Divide into the 6 liners, saving room for caramel topping. You can see I didn’t leave quite enough room… I could have nibbled more!
Tap on counter or smooth the top with a wet finger to simulate a flat cheesecake top.
Freeze at least four hours to firm up the filling.
Here’s where I deviate from the original recipe as posted, because caramel is delicious and versatile and making a lot takes the same time as making a little. You’ll need half of this Keto Caramel Sauce recipe and when I discovered I hadn’t yet shared it here, I had to remedy that!! So remember, this will make double what you need for our Snickers cheesecakes.
Before you make the caramel, chop 0.25 cup salted peanuts and set aside.
0.5 cup butter
3 Tbs Swerve Brown + 3 Tbs Bochasweet or Allulose (the blend prevents recrystalizing; both Swerve & Allulose are found in stores, Bochasweet is mailorder). You also can use 6 Tbs sweetener plus 2 tsp blackstrap molasses
0.5 cup heavy cream
0.25 tsp Xanthan gum (sold in most stores)
0.25 tsp salt
1 Tbs water (2 Tbs if you’re making the caramel not for the cheesecakes)
Combine butter and sweeteners in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes, being careful not to burn or boil over. Remove from heat and add heavy cream. It will bubble a LOT. Stir to combine. Sprinkle xanthan gum over the top and whisk vigorously to combine, then add salt. Return to heat and boil for one more minute, then cool to lukewarm.
If you are using for cheesecake topping, remove cheesecakes from freezer and sprinkle peanuts on top, then add one heaping tablespoon caramel over the top and spread. Then return them to the freezer for another half hour or more to solidify. Add 1 Tbs water to the remaining caramel and stir until smooth. If you are JUST making caramel sauce, add 2 Tbs water to the full recipe and stir until smooth. Store remaining caramel in the fridge, and reheat gently to make it pourable (or eat it with a spoon, I won’t judge).
Recipe says to microwave 0.5 oz sugar-free dark chocolate (I use Lily’s brand) and 0.5 tsp coconut oil in a small bowl for 30 second increments, stirring each time until smooth.
Remove mini-cheesecakes from cupcake liners and drizzle on chocolate topping. Store in fridge and serve cold.
What I did: I had leftover coating from the last time I made peanut butter eggs. I made it by melting together 4 ounces Lily’s Dark and 0.5 ounce cocoa butter, and stored the leftover in the fridge. I simply melted it again carefully in the microwave then drizzled it on the dessert.
What I’m doing next time: drizzling it on the desserts while still in the cups, and storing them in the freezer instead of the fridge. SO much easier to get them out easily when frozen, and they thaw really quickly.
I had the two members of Casa Brillig who eat chocolate taste these and both said they were delicious. K1 said they were reminiscent of a slightly melted Snickers Ice Cream Bar.
(from the original recipe, YMMV depending on the ingredients you use)
340 calories; 7.3g Total Carbs; 2.4g Fiber; 5.9g Protein; 29.4g Fat
Please let me know if you make these, or share your own personal Halloween-inspired recipes!! I’m planning a Buffalo Shredded Chicken main course on Halloween because it’s both easy AND orange!